Font special ASCII characters in 2.6
To enter special characters for a Text object,


enter editmode
type any letter
go to Redo panel (it should show Insert Text)
open Notepad or another text editor
enter your special char using Alt key
copy and paste the char to the Text property field in Blender's Redo panel




Another way is to


load an external text file with the Text Editor,
then click the menu Edit > Text To 3D Object > One Object.